Eollee foe window shades



(No Model.)

G. D. PETERS. SPRING ROLLER FOR WINDOW SHADES.

No. 422,314. Patented Peb.25,1890.

N. PETERS. FlvolmLllhogmpiwr. WashmglofLQC.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE. I

GORDON DONALDSON PETERS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SPRING-ROLLER FOR WINDOW-SHADES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 422,314, dated February 25, 1890.

Application filed August 6, 1889. Serial No. 319,938. (No model.) Patented in England December 14, 1887, No. 17,233; in

France March 16, 1888, No. 187,934, and in Italy January 5, 1889.

To aZZ whom. it may concern:

Be itknown that I, GORDON DONALDSON PETERS, manufacturer, asubject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements relating to Spring-Rollers for Window-Blinds, (for which I have obtained patents in the following countries, viz: Great Britain, No. 17,233, dated Decemberld, A. D. 1887; France, No. 1S7,934,'dated March 16, 1888, and Italy, dated January 5, 1889,) of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to spring-rollers for window-blinds of the kind or class wherein a friction device is employed for counteracting a balance-weight attached to the blind, so that the blind will remain in any position to which it is adjusted.

My said invention is designed to increase the efficiency of such spring-rollers and to provide for the adjustment of the said friction device to regulate the amount of force required to pull down the blind.

To such-ends my invention involves the features of construction, the combination or arrangement of parts, and the principles of operation hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section; and Fig. 2, a transverse section on the line a: w,Fig. 1; and Fig. 8 is a side elevation showing a rod or spindle,- hereinafter referred to.

a is a tube or hollow roller, having arranged therein a rod or spindle 6, around which the spring a is wound or coiled, and which is held stationary in suitable brackets d, so that the tube or roller may rotate upon it. A. short rod or spindle e is fixed in one end of the rod or spindle b, so that it forms a continuation of the same, and has fitted to rotate upon it a collar f, formed with holes or cavities f, in which are placed pins or pawls g. These pawls may extend either partly or entirely through the said collar. In the apparatus shown in the drawings they extend through the collar and are made with elongated slots, through which the rod or spindle e is passed. A collar 1) is preferably screwed upon the end of the spindle b and fits loosely within the tube or roller a. A'socketed sleeve h, provided internally with ratchet-teeth, is firmly fixed in one end of the tube or roller a, and is fitted upon the spindle 6 so that it is free to rotate thereon. The collar f, carrying the pawls g, is so arranged that it extends within the said socketed sleeve h, and as the said collar rotates the pawls g will fall by gravitation into engagement with the said teeth.

A washer i, of leather or other suitable 1na-= terial, is placed upon the spindle c between a collar or shoulder c thereon and the collar f, carrying the pawls. The said collar f is pressed against this Washer 71 by a spring 7c, surrounding the spindle e and secured thereon by means of locking-nuts Z Z, screwed upon the said spindle.

When the blind is pulled down, the ring or socket it rotates with the tube or roller a in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, and, one or other of the pawls y engaging with a tooth in the said ring or socket, the collar f rotates therewith. It is obvious, therefore, that in pulling down the blind a considerable amount of friction must be overcome between the collar f and washer 1'. By turning or adjusting the locking nuts Z Z in one or the other direction the frictionspring k may be compressed or permitted to expand, and the amount of friction to be overcome in pulling down the blind thus increased or diminished, as desired.

The balance=weight attached to the blind is made sufficiently heavy to resist the tendency of the roller-spring c to draw up the blind, but not heavy enough to overcome the friction between the said collar and washer and the tension of the spring 0 combined. To raise the blind it is only necessary to lift the balance-weight. The rollerspring will then draw up the blind, the teeth of the ratchet socketed sleeve h sliding over the pawls g.

WVhat I claim is= 1. A spring roller consisting of a tube a, a spindle e therein, a socketed sleeve h, fixed in one end of the tube, adapted to rotate on the spindle, and having internal ratchet-teeth, a friction=wasl1er i, secured to the spindle, a

collar f, provided with a radially-movable pawl g to engage the ratehet-teeth in the soeketed sleeve to rotate the collar f on the spindle, and a spring 7;, which presses the collar into the sleeve against the frictionwasher, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the roller (cl, provided with the fixed rod or spindle Z) and the spring 0, of the fixed rod or spindle e, the socketed sleeve 71-, provided with internal ratchetteeth and fixed in the said roller, the collar f, fitted to rotate upon the spindle e, radiallymovahle pins or pawls 9, carried by the said collar and adapted to engage with the said my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GORDON DONALDSON PETERS.

Vitnesses:

W. MGLAREN, F. C. VENN. 

